Demolition begins on historic Midtown synagogue
by: David Royer
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Crews have begun tearing down the old Temple Israel synagogue, which has stood on Poplar Avenue near Montgomery Street since 1916.
The structure, now owned by Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, is being torn down to make way for a 73,000-square-foot sanctuary as part of a $310 million redevelopment plan for its Midtown campus.
Originally known as the Children of Israel Synagogue, the Byzantine-style building was designed by architects Walk C. Jones Sr. and Max Furbringer. It featured large stained glass windows, a dome and a pipe organ inside.
Memphis Heritage and others had hoped all or part of the building could be saved.
“When it opened in 1916, the first rabbi here was instrumental in the Civil Rights Movement and spoke out against the Ku Klux Klan and the lynching of Ell Parsons in 1917,” said Zach Harpole, a local fan of history and architecture.
Thursday morning, heavy equipment was tearing into the building’s facade.
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